The effects of Steroids

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One of the hottest topics on the news recently has been steroid use by athletes. From talk radio to the best seller list to the Senate floor, the controversy has only grown during the 2006 baseball season, as Barry Bonds continues his quest to move right on past Babe Ruth and break Hank Aaron’s home run record. Although Bonds’ case has certainly attracted the most publicity, the issue is definitely not confined to baseball. The best-selling book “Game of Shadows” was written by two reporters who had spent months investigating top athletes from a variety of sports, including Olympians like track star Marion Jones. While it does focus extensively on Bonds, this meticulously researched bestseller also describes in detail how many other elite sports figures were able to enhance themselves with illegal drugs while evading detection. (Fainaru-Wada) It would be foolhardy to dismiss this problem as a minor one, or to pretend that with enough negative publicity and public condemnation, it will just go away on its own. The entire sports community needs to take a clear, consistent and proactive approach to eliminating steroid use completely from all forms of competitive sports. Let’s consider why this is so important by taking a look at the history of steroids and their negative effects, both physical and otherwise. We will also take into account how negative public perception has tarnished the reputation of many sports. What are steroids? Those most commonly used by sports figures fall into the category of “anabolic steroids” and are defined by Merriam-Webster as: “ …any of a group of usually synthetic steroid hormones that increase constructive metabolism and are sometimes abused by athletes in training to increase tempor... ... middle of paper ... ...ent effective policies. Action begins, but seems to go nowhere. After all, if these athletes used illegal drugs, shouldn’t they be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, as would anyone who used a controlled substance in an illegal manner? Somehow this doesn’t seem to happen, even though the FDA has classified steroids as being in this category since 1990. In conclusion, steroid use is a big problem that has taken a heavy toll on many different competitive sports. From health problems to loss of fan trust and even the possibility of legal prosecution, steroids have marred the enjoyment of sports on so many levels, and they continue to do so. It is vitally important that all athletes, coaches and sports organizations acknowledge this fact and continue working together to try and solve the problem more effectively than they have been able to as of yet.

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